1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shaving devices, and more particularly to water irrigated shavers modulated in their shaving contact by pulsations in the water stream.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The early morning shower ablution followed by a shave is a well practiced process now wholly imbedded in our everyday life. Even our colloquial discourse includes reference to the proverbial “quick shower and shave” fixing the association of the shower with a subsequent shave. This traditional morning sequence is thus virtually universal as the physics that governs this sequence rest on shaving convenience of the prior day's beard growth that has been first well soaked in the shower. Our colloquial expression simply recognizes that a close shave is much more easily obtained if the face is first well moistened. Of course, one also desires that the same time economies also extent to the task of brushing one's teeth often finished right in the shower.
In the past various mechanisms have been devised which recognize the physical relationship of these habituated events, particularly those that and in one way or another irrigate the shaving head with household water flow. The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,585 to Whitaker, et al., for example, illustrate one such structure in which the household water supply is conveyed by flexible tubing to irrigate both the shaved surface and also the shaving edges. Other similar examples can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,586 to Thierry; U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,870 to Jursich, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,574 to Milner; U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,082 to Troncoso; and others. Each of the foregoing, while suitable for their purpose, fail to address the coincident steam and moisture that is associated with the irrigation and that also limits the usefulness of a mirror therewith. The user of such irrigated devices is therefore left more or less blind while shaving in the shower and the efficacy of the shaving stroke is therefore a major concern.
Reliance on manual dexterity and control while manipulating a sharp instrument in the steamy confines of a shower and in the consequent absence of all visual feedback is a brave undertaking. For these reasons the prior art irrigated shavers have had less than full acceptance in the marketplace. Instead water impervious motorized shavers appeared on the market, preferring the safety of a small motorized stroke over the manual strokes of a blade edge. Water impervious electric shavers, however, are inherently expensive to produce and alternatives therefor have been universally sought. A passive irrigated shaving arrangement utilizing water pressure fluctuations to excite small blade modes of motion can effectively combine the safety of a small shaving stroke with the convenience of unpowered in-shower use and it is one such arrangement that has been instantly developed in a structure that is also useful to reciprocate a brush. Thus the same mechanism can be effectively adapted both for in-shower shaving and also for use as a powered tooth brush.